Leaders discuss citizenship and voting rights

Leaders discuss citizenship and voting rights

President Mustafa Akinci, has said that the there was a good atmosphere at the leaders’ meeting held on Friday and the talks were productive, Kibris Gazetesi reports.

The topics covered in Friday’s three and a half hour meeting held in the buffer zone, were the granting of citizenship and voting rights. These discussions were fruitful, he said, noting that there is no great difference of opinion on these two subjects.

Akinci said they aimed to discuss all issues in the four remaining meetings this month.

Asked about the future of Guzelyurt (Morphou), he said that territory will be discussed at the appropriate time, which will be towards the end of the negotiations.

Akinci said the Turkish Cypriot side was very sensitive about the issue, refusing to discuss the issue of territory.

“We want to discuss this matter soon because we want to conclude discussions on the Cyprus problem, but today was not the day,” Akinci said.

Territory, security, and guarantees, will be discussed on 29th July 29, he said.

Cyprus Weekly reports that President Nicos Anastasiades, commenting on Friday’s leaders’ meeting said that that basic freedoms would not be jeopardised in a federal reunited Cyprus.

He maintained that the aim of this round of negotiations remained the unification of the island, within the year, if possible.

“Today’s discussion on chapters of citizenship and basic freedoms was both constructive and creative. I wish we had a similar understanding on other chapters, equally serious, where there are serious differences,” he said.

“I don’t want to be more specific. What I’m trying to say is that the number is defined, the number of those who will be eligible to get Cypriot citizenship (after reunification),” he added.